SMARTDRAW IN QUALITY AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING:

SmartDraw "Makes Money" for Australian Water Research Company

Going Under
As IT/Operations Executive for Modular Solution Technologies, a water research company with patented technology for the processing and reclamation of water from wastewater, Brendan Fowler was charged with rolling out an integrated manufacturing system. This entailed documenting everything for ISO 9001, an international standard for quality.

"I tried Microsoft's ORGCHART^®, but it was a distraction, not a solution," said Fowler. "I also tried AutoCAD, but I gave up after hours of frustration."

Fowler tried several other diagramming tools, but to no avail.

"I cursed MSPaint^® and PowerPoint^®," he said. "I also tried Visio^®, but the outcome was so juvenile, plus the program required me to pay extra for image libraries that weren't of very good quality."

Finally, Fowler found SmartDraw on a download site, and decided to give it a try.

Sink or Swim
Fowler found that SmartDraw was a cinch to use from the very beginning.

"It was very easy," he said. "The interface was so Microsoft^®-compatible and PC friendly, I was up and running with SmartDraw on day one."

SmartDraw includes thousands of symbols and images, and simple drag-and-drop drawing, making easy work out of any diagram. Fowler knew it would be a great tool for everything from floor plans and forms to deeply technical diagrams.

"The SmartDraw 7 image library is just massive," he said. "I was also impressed with how SmartDraw handles layers."

SmartDraw includes a Layers Wizard that walks users through the process of adding layers to their drawing, from start to completion. In addition, SmartDraw includes tutorials and helpful tips to help users create more advanced drawings.

"I was soon producing multi-layered, gradient-filled diagrams," said Fowler. "I amazed myself—and everyone else—at how quickly I could outperform our Mac artists and CAD Designer."

Making a Splash
The company's directors and clients were so impressed that SmartDraw is now a standard software installation.

"I use SmartDraw every day, to make diagrams for sewage plants, floor plans, database planning, elevated design, forms, website planning, presentations, IT drawings, and more," he said.

Not only does SmartDraw save organizations like Modular Solution Technologies time and money, but it also enables them to deliver more professional results, putting it head and shoulders above other more expensive software tools.

"I can make scaled, technical drawings without spending thousands of dollars—or years of training—on AutoCAD," said Fowler. "And I no longer have to tolerate the juvenile flowcharts from Microsoft^®."

The biggest benefit? SmartDraw has made a measurable impact on his company's bottom line.

"With SmartDraw, the time-saving and quality improvements we now enjoy in our work have helped us both secure numerous contracts and improve our corporate image," said Fowler. "SmartDraw makes money!"

To learn more about SmartDraw, please visit www.smartdraw.com.